The silver watch
by minniemerlin
Summary: Damian, Ron, Ginny and Hermione are unfortunately transported back to when Tom Riddle attended Hogwarts. Decisions have consequences, and with a ruthless war on the horizon, will Harry be able to find the antidote to this unfortunate situation? Based on Kuurione's dark prince trilogy. Read them first, they're amazing and this won't make sense if you don t.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **Hey! so this is my first fanfic ever! Its probably really bad, but if you want to read I will explain a few things first.**

 **The story is based on Kurioone`s 3 stories, The Darkness Within, Part Of Me, and Deepest Reflections, go and read them before this! Credit to Kurioone and of course Jk Rowling. Secondly, since this is my first pic please drop some feedback for me. And lastly, This is going to end up quite angsty, maybe even some death, just a warning. It will centre around the main characters meeting a young Tom Riddle. Enjoy! Or don`t enjoy, I guess, it might be terrible!**

Damian Potter was at the orders headquarters for a meeting he couldn't even attend.

"Why couldn't Harry come?" Moaned Damian as he was dragged down the hallway by Lily.

Lily looked at her youngest son, annoyed.

"You know Harry doesn't feel comfortable around the order, or this house." She sighed. Lily would always feel a sort of guilt for the way harry had been treated here, but couldn't help believing that his blatant hate for order members was a bit uncalled for. However, Harry would be coming later to see Ginny as everyone was going to the Burrow later.

Damian pouted. He'd been disappointed when Harry had point blank refused to step foot in the house unless he was needed. Harry, unintentional as it may be, made order meetings entertaining to Damian.

Sirius poked his head round the corner, dark hair swinging.

"Pup! There you are. Hermione and the Weaslys just got here. They're upstairs."

Damian`s face instantly brightened.

"Im going to find them."

"Remember to go to the meeting to room! You haven`t got long!" Lily yelled after her sons retreating form, before turning towards Sirius, shaking her head.

5 minutes later, Ron, Hermione, Damian and Ginny were playing exploding snap on two dusty couches in front of a just as dusty portrait of an old woman, who was waking up when the cards exploded and grumbling at the teens.

Ron dropped a card under the table. With a grim expression on his face he crouched down and shifted through some old news papers to find the run away card, smiling triumphantly as he did so.

POP

Fred and George appeared behind Ron`s shoulder, making the redhead squeal in surprise and whack his head on the table.

"Guess what?" Started an excited Fred.

"Oi!" Yelled Ron.

Without giving them time to answer, George continued.

"We found a hidden room!"

Grinning widely, they faced the teens.

"Just because you can apparate doesn't mean YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALL THE TIME!"

"Should we not we tell Dumbledore or Sirius then?" Asked Ginny cautiously, while Hermione shushed Ron, who looked a outraged that he was being ignored.

"No! we should explore it, we found it."

The twins now turned to Damian.

"Damy! Don`t you agree?"

Damian let a grin spread over his face and stood up.

"Hell yeah!"

Hermione shot a disapproving look at the three.

"Ginny was right. What if theres something dangerous? This was the Black house, you know. DARK wizards. We should go down and make sure the others know. We are not going into that room."

Hermione sighed as she trudged behind Ron ( still rubbing his sore head) towards that damn room. She didn`t want to but she couldn`t let them go alone, could she? A sick jolt in her stomach told her that there could be something very dangerous inside that room.

The door opened with a simple charm. The room was cluttered and musty, she noted, wrinkling her nose.

Shelves apon shelves and wooden circular tables littered with booked and orbs and strangle glass objects gathered dust.

"Woah."

Damian was not expecting this.

"Wonder whats in here."

They scouted between the shelves for a few minutes before a screech floated up to them.

"FRED! GEORGE! GET DOWN HERE- NOW!" Molly Weaslys bellowing voice reached said twins who shivered and went pale.

Fred faced his brother.

"Did we- leave those extendable ears downstairs?"

George gulped.

"Extendable ears- you mean- you didn`t find this place, you eavesdropped about it?" Ginny stuttered, turning pink.

"No. I mean yes-"

"Listen. They don`t know we know. Keep looking."

The twins escaped out the door before Ginny, fuming, reached out to grab them.

"I swear! If we get caught-"

Although, curiosity got the better of her and soon she was scouring the shelves again.

Damian picked up an interesting looking silver pocket watch and observed the strange engravings on the back.

"i still don`t think we should be here," muttered Hermione as she ran her hand over a glass orb on the shelf.

"Oh come Hermione, we haven`t done anything, not really. What you got there Damy?"

Curious, the teens gathered round Damian, who was carelessly fiddling with the watch.

"A watch, I think." Damian flicked open the cover to reveal the clock face. The numbers were strange and yellowing behind the glass. Dark magic was radiating from this thing. Damian didn't know how they had not realised before.

"Be careful!" Ginny`s yell was drowned out by deafening silence and a bright white glow emitting from the watch. Damian felt his breath hitch as he was pulled-where he diden`t know. When the flash receded, the room was empty.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **So, second chapter! Sorry if chapter one was lazy, I really didn't know how to begin, but I'm more confident know about which direction I want this going in. I'm pretty proud of this one. Enjoy.**

Damian opened his eyes. The light had become so bright that he`d no choice. He was aware of hand clutched onto his arm and being huddled close to others and knew that Ron, Hermione and Ginny had been dragged along for the ride. Suddenly Damian felt very foolish. Why had he been so careless with that watch? Now he`d dragged his friends god knows where.

He focussed less on the pang of guilt and, rather, blinked his bleary eyes to find them stood in-Hogwarts?

"Uh… Guys?"

He blinked again-slowly. Opened his eyes, and there he was, Hogwarts. Glancing round, he noticed similar expressions on Hermione and Ron`s faces, whilst Ginny looked disbelieving.

"What going on? How did we go from-" Hermione lowered her voice and let go of Ron`s arm- "The Orders Head quaters to Hogwarts?"

Nobody answered. Damian instead looked at the corridor they were stood in , wide- a main corridor. They heard an unfamiliar voice echo through the corridor.

"I simply am trying to ensure the students safety, Albus!"

Albus! Albus Dumbledore could help them, surely!

The teens glanced at each other before creeping up the corridor towards the raised voices. They stopped outside the room, listening through the partly open door. Ron who was closest, chanced a peek into the room before turning back, eyes wide.

"Dumbledore, McGonagall and some other guy." He mouthed silently.

Damian wrinkled his brow. Who could they be talking about?

"I think you may be over reacting here, Silvanus." Albus Dumbledores calm voice was recognisable anywhere.

"No, I think not. The boy-" He shifted uncomfortably before continuing, "Tom Riddle Sr was found dead- murdered may I add. You know nobody hated him more than that boy!"

Damian`s eyes widened in shock. He only knew one wizard with the name Tom Riddle. As far as he knew, Voldemort was the junior. If they were talking about him, why were they referring to him as 'boy'? Why were they even talking about Voldemort? It made no sense to Damian.

"Professor Kettleburn!" The shrill voice of Mcgonagall hissed back. "You cannot be suggesting _a student_ left Hogwarts over the holiday- and-and _murdered_ that man? That is _ridiculous_. Ridiculous. Mr Riddle was a wealthy man- you know that. A tragic event- the murderer wanted money!"

She whipped round towards the headmaster.

"Tell him, Albus! Inform Silvanus how utterly unreasonable he is being!"

Dumbledore was quiet for a moment before he answered.

"It is true, Silvanus, that Tom Riddle hated his father. One of the reasons he ended up at that orphanage-"

"Exactly! The orphanage were all to happy to get rid of the child that could speak to snakes- hurt the other children, I add. The boy who could make things move without touching them, set things on fire without matches. The heir of Slytherin-" He reached out a slammed his fit onto the table they were stood round- "Is a dark wizard! Do not deny this, Albus! He heard about the death of his father and shrugged! _shrugged!_ The boy has psychopath written all over him!" He paused for breath.

Damian had heard enough. If the teachers came out and realised they`d heard the conversation, they were done for. He gestured for the others to follow him and round the corner only to soon. A fuming Professor Kettleburn, followed by Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall, who was muttering something along the lines of "Unacceptable."

Shocked faces peered at him.

"They were talking about- about Voldemort!"

"Bloody Hell!"

"We must have gone back in time. Merlin."

"What do we do?"

They all froze when they heard footsteps echoing along the stone steps towards them. They had nowhere to go! A sickening feeling settled in Damian`s stomach.

"What are you doing out of the common room? Its almost curfew." A kind voice exclaimed.

Charity Burbage stood before them, hands on her hips.

"Miss Granger? Mr Potter? Mr Weasly? Miss Weasly? What happened to your robes?"

For the first time, the group realised that they were wearing muggle attire and blue robes, in Damian`s case.

When they didn`t answer, the professor just sighed.

"Here- you are all Gryffindor, right? Now get back to your common room, or you`ll get in trouble."

She handed them some miniaturised robes, and they thanked her before hurrying to the Gryffindor common room, tripping over the robes they carried. A duo of chatting prefects reached the portrait and said the password, ('Werewolf humbug!') which Ginny stuttered with a red face.

Settled in the common room, Damian stared at the silver watch in his hand. His many questions unanswered. How did they get there? Was young Tom riddle there? How did the teacher know their names? How would they get back? Could they affect the future?

He was knocked out of his deep in thought state when an owl swooped down towards them, pecking the window to alert them of their presence. Hermione jumped up and opened the window to let it in, and it dropped a letter in her lap.

She held it up,

"Its from Dumbledore."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **Chapter 3! I've written 3 in 3 days. Trying to keep this from being one of those situations when the author does not update. Also I have so much time, I'm on easter break and I'm just fandom trash. Yep. Also I might change the title to 'Trapped in the past' or something. 'The silver watch' was temporary. What do you think?**

 **Also, let me remind you to review. It only takes a few seconds! I don`t think you even need an account.**

 **Tom wont come into this chapter, but soon. This one gets the boring stuff outta the way.**

There was pause and then everyone was scrambling towards Hermione, who was in the process of opening the letter.

"It has to be from our Dumbledore. It _has_ to be." Damian muttered. He'd started to feel dejected as anyone would, when trapped in the past.

Hermione fumbled with the parchment before pulling it open.

"Show us, Hermione."

 ** _BACK IN THE FUTURE_**

 ** _Fred and George emerged from the stairway to Molly, who waited, hands on hips, for any explanation. The twins noted the extendable ears hanging from her fist and gulped._**

 ** _"_** ** _Well?" Molly Weasley was fuming. "Explain yourselves! Why were these-" she waved the ears "- at the door?"_**

 ** _She stepped forwards._**

 ** _The explanation was short, but that was all Mrs Weasley needed. She stormed up the stairs followed by sheepish Fred and George, a tired looking Mr Weasley who was attempting to glare at his sons, an irate Lily and grinning James and Sirius._**

 ** _They found the room empty of course. Mrs Weasley turned towards the twins again._**

 ** _"_** ** _BOYS?"_**

 ** _Sensing that she was becoming impatient, Fred called out._**

 ** _"_** ** _Guys! Stop hiding."_**

 ** _No answer. After a thorough search of the room they hurried back into the meeting room._**

 ** _"_** ** _Dumbledore! The kids are gone!"  
After another search of the house as a whole, The order members that had arrived had concluded that something in that room must have transported them elsewhere._**

 ** _"_** ** _Sirius! Did you know of anything that could have done this? Anything dangerous? Dark magic?" Asked Dumbledore urgently scratching his long beard._**

 ** _When Sirius replied it was unsure and worried. "No. but it could have been anywhere. That room- we hadn`t even looked in there yet!"_**

 ** _Quietly, Tonks replied, "Like a portkey."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Then they will get back here? wont they?" Lily looked close to tears._**

 ** _"_** ** _Not necessarily. Port keys take you from place to place, cursed objects can take you back in time." Muttered Remus darkly._**

 ** _Lily`s face fell immediately. "No…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Dumbledore! there has to be something you can do! Please! Damy…"_**

 ** _Dumbledore spoke slowly._**

 ** _"_** ** _There is a tracking spell, a spell we can use to send a message to their direct location, but it will take time. If would someone would write a message while I start the spell, please."_**

 ** _Lily`s head snapped up._**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh thank merlin!"_**

 ** _Tonks acciod a quill and parchment and began to write._**

 ** _Lily settled on a wooden stool on the outside of the room and watched as the old wizard began the incantation._**

BACK TO THE PAST

Hermione straightened up and began to read the letter aloud.

"Damian, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. I am aware that you have been transported to another time. You must be careful. We do not yet know the effects of this transition, how it will affect the future and such. Find out what date it is and write back using the same owl. however you got there, if it was with an object in particular keep it with you at all times. We will try to get you back as soon as possible, but you _have to be careful._ Burn this letter when you've read it."

Hermione carefully ignited the letter and watched their last grip on their home world shrink and shrivel in the flames.

She pulled a piece of butter beer stained paper from the table in front of them and began to write. With Damian`s help she detailed the date (they`d found it on a newspaper on the table), what they'd heard about Tom Riddle, the silver watch and the strange way they`d been addressed as students.

Ron gave the letter to the owl who hooted and swept away again.

"So…" Damian asked the question on all their minds. "Do we go to our dorms, or will somebody else be there?"

The kids glanced round at each other and shifted uncomfortably. The thought that other people were probobly sleeping in their beds was unerving, almost as if they`d been replaced. Damian did not want to think about it.

"We should sleep down here, on these couches. I don`t want to risk going into a full dorm." Admitted Ginny finally.

The others had to agree and settled down around the fire, conjuring blankets. Ron and Damian decided to stay awake for a few hours, and sat in anxious silence, wondering hat the morning would bring.

When Ginny woke up and took shift, Damian was only to happy to close his eyes and sleep.

MORNING

Hermione woke them up early. Bleary eyed and yawning, the teens stumbled to the nearest toilet to change into their Hogwarts robes. When Damian returned to the common room, he saw many students already up and making their way down towards the great hall. Uncertainly, the teens followed down for breakfast.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **Whooo! So Tom Riddle is in this chapter. Im portraying him as dark but a bit different to his older self. More like a sarcastic, kinda funny, crazy character, but still manipulative and unkind to most people. This is going to be a short chapter, sorry. Anyway, enjoy.**

Almost carried by the rush of hungry students heading towards the main hall, the four Gryffindors only just managed to push sideways into the side corridor to the left of the entrance of the great hall.

Ron was angrily rubbing his arm.

"Some bloody Ravenclaw pushed into me!" He spat.

Ginny crouched down to do her shoelace, and Hermione berated Ron on his 'bad attitude'.

Damian, however, was more interested in a small group of students, maybe a year or so older than him and Ginny, two Slytherin boys and a Ravenclaw girl who seemed to almost fade into the wall.

Damian realised with a jolt that put his friends` attention to the same area, that she was intact a ghost; grey and miserable looking, her hair hung in two brown plaits on either side of her face. She wore rounded glasses and robes- this was the ghost of a student. Damian found himself curious. If the student was dead since now, why hadn`t they seen her round the school? And how did she die?

Damian's eyes wandered sideways to the boys. A brown haired boy, the tallest of the three, was looking at the ghost and speaking to her quizzically.

He was friendly looking, with large grey eyes and an attractive smile. The other boy stood between them, his gaze moving from face to face smoothly.

Something about him chilled Damian. His hair was jet black and slightly spiked at a medium length, just long enough to touch his thick eyebrows in some places. His eyes were a stunning green, despite darkened by a glare of hatred, and he had pale skin.

Damian decided that this chill was a chill of recognition. Other than his slight resemblance of Harry, the boy seemed familiar to him. Unconciously, he stepped closer to over hear their conversation.

"Why are you here, Myrtle?" The brown haired boy was saying to the ghost, who narrowed her eyes behind glass. His question was innocently spoken, but with negatively associated words.

"Because, Sebastien, I am to remain here at Hogwarts until my death is uncovered." She sniffed.

"You've chosen us to torment? Also please, Seb." He corrected, gesturing to himself. He turned to the other boy.

"So, Tom, hows it going down?"

Damian's jaw dropped. Tom! Tom Riddle! This is Voldemort before he got red eyes. It explained why he hadn't recognised the dark wizard, his red eyes were a staple of his evilness. A glance to his left showed Hermione also in a state of shock. He turned back to the exchange going on round the corner.

Tom Riddle spoke in a low voice.

"We need to get to the library's restricted section."

Myrtle let out a quiet laugh that sounded more like a sob.

"Why? The library? If you need to study you can use the normal section."

Tom looked at her like she was crazy.

"Are you se-" He composed himself and began again. "This isn't for studying! Even if Seb could do with the work."

"Im better on the battlefield, Tommy!" Protested Sebastian, half sarcastic, half serious.

Though Tom looked annoyed that he'd been called 'Tommy', he did not comment.

"Dark magic! You are looking for books on dark arts! Are you sure your mum would approve?" Myrtle cackled.

"Quite on the contrary, my mum was a dark witch from the Slytherin bloodline." Tom stated proudly. "But she's also too dead to care."

"And your father?" Prompted Myrtle, intrigued.

"Muggle scum. Also dead." Hissed Tom. It was quite disturbing how fast his emotions changed, noted Ginny. He was unpredictable.

"So you're only a half blood wizard. I wonder-"

Sensing that Tom was becoming dangerously annoyed, Seb slung his arm over his shoulder and interrupted Myrtle.

"Actually, Tom and I came from the same orphanage."

Tom shrugged Seb's arm away.

"Whatever. Have you got the potions, Seb?"

The trio disappeared round down the corridor, no doubt towards the library. Ron sighed in relief. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't this.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **Hey! Sorry for the break, heres another chapter. Remember to give feedback!**

Damian shifted uncomfortably and glanced at his fellow Gryffindors. No words were exchanged, but slowly they turned round and entered the hall silently amongst many oblivious chattering students.

The hall looked virtually identical, A few teachers they did not recognise were seated at the staff table, in its usual position at the front of the hall. The colourful banners looked a little brighter. A few owls swooped round with letters, and as they took seats at the end of their house table Damian half expected a letter to arrive for him, although he knew that the order would not risk delivering such an important message to them at a busy time of the day.

The strange thing was that a younger Dumbledore was already sat there at the table, conversing pleasantly with Professor McGonagall. Damian looked closely at him. He was perhaps a little younger looking, but not much different. He could be mistaken for the same Dumbledore he'd seen yesterday, back at the headquaters.

Turning away, he grabbed a piece of warm toast and looked up at Ron, Ginny and Hermione.

Ron cautiously spoke.

"Well… that was not what I expected him to be like."

Damian agreed. The topic of Voldemort was a sort of taboo in the house, especially since Harry was around. He knew that Harry, however hard he tried, would still care about the wizard. Harry felt a sort of guilt and in Damian's opinion, a permanent loneliness.

After all, he did lose both Voldemort and Bella. Damian knew that Harry was struggling to cope with the magically induced amnesia, the gaps in his memory. He knew that Harry was confused as to what to feel anymore, and so out of sympathy Damian had not forced Harry to talk about his problems. It felt strange to talk about _him_ so openly now.

He realised Ginny was talking now.

"Yeah. I expected him to be colder… you know- there was a vibe about him, still, like a dangerous feeling, but he's nowhere near as threatening now."

Hermione hummed in gentle agreement.

Although he'd never admit it, she was right. He _was_ scared of Voldemort. Scared of what he could do to him, his family, his brother and his friends. But here, here Damian felt like the boy they'd seen couldn't have always been like Voldemort. He began to question what he'd been sure of all along; that Voldemort was naturally evil.

"Dumbledore said…" Began Hermione awkwardly, " That Voldemort- when he was in his later years of Hogwarts, he changed. Something happened. Something that make him become blinded by rage. It obviously hasn't happened yet, so…"

The other half of her sentence was finished by Ron.

"Woah- Hermione you don't mean… You don't think the watch bringing us here was something to do with that, do you?"

Hermione silently bit her lip, but it seemed to confirm the theory to Ron who breathed out harshly and lent back.

"No way…"

Damian felt the weight of the watch round his neck and grimaced, more uneasy than before.

Ron and Hermione followed some students their age to class, and Damy and Ginny did the same. The lessons passed almost like a normal day, Ginny struggled a little in charms but otherwise it ran smoothly.

When the duo met with Ron and Hermione at lunch however, they looked confused.

"What is it?" Asked Ginny as they reached their older friends.

"We just had potions. With the Slytherins." Stammered Ron, an unusually embarrassed expression on his face.

Hermione glanced over at Ron who was half hiding behind her and brushing his robes off frantically and huffed, stepping forwards.

"Ron managed to cause an explosion when he was brewing his potion - oh for heavens sake Ron! _He_ was there too, with his friend."

Previously amused expressions lost their playful joy.

"So he's your age then? Was he any good at potions?"

Hermione looked as if she wanted to say something else, and then burst out,

"Good? He's probably the best I've ever seen, for our age particularly. I mean, Ron ruined our potion but if he hadn't I'm sure I'd have been able too. It was Felix felisous after all, it's very difficult, Professor Slughorn said-" She realised she'd been rambling and shook her head. "I mean, it was quite incredible."

She paused as two haughty looking girls floated past, speaking loudly enough for them to hear.

"Did you hear? Professor Slughorn is having another _Slug club_ meeting!"

"No way! I'd do anything to get into that damn club. Guess i'm just not talented enough."

The second girl pouted. Her friend smirked and she glared at her.

" _Slug club!_ If that isn't the most stupid name for a club iv'e ever heard! Ha!" Ron sniggered.

"Shut up! Remember professor mentioned this to Tom in class?"

Hermione snapped back and acted without thinking. She left forward and stopped the girls, who stared at her incredulously. Hermione adopted a curious expression onto her face and shifted on her feet.

"Hey. Um- Im new here, and I, uh, overheard you talking about the- The _Slug club?_ I've heard other kids talking about it. It can't be that big of a deal, right?"

The girls nodded their heads enthusiastically.

"You don't know about the _Slug club_?"

"Where have _you_ been?"

The first girl composed herself, shook her blood hair, and spoke.

"The club is special. Fist of all you have to be hand picked by Professor Slughorn to get in. He only chooses you if you are rich, or talented, or promising, or clever or ambitious. If your'e special." She gloated slowly. "They have meetings sometimes. Ive been told they're _wonderful._ Food and dresses and sometimes even a famous quiditch player. Those kids get away with anything, honestly."

Damian borrowed his eyes. So this is what he wanted. getting away with anything must sound like a promising deal for Tom, disliked and feared, even the oblivious, jolly Slughorn must have sensed something. A spark of magic, an intellect stronger than most.

Hermione thanked the girls and turned back to them as they walked down the path.

"So…" She smiled. "I guess we know what to do next."

"Whats that?" Asked Ron.

"Infiltrate The Slugclub's next meeting."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **I got my first review earlier. Thank you! I appreciate it. Next chapter! This might have been out a bit later, sorry, I've been busy with school and life and stuff. Enjoy! Its about to get real dramatic real soon.**

BACK IN THE FUTURE

Harry glared at the floor, trying to understand the elaborate theory that Dumbledore was explaining to him. He grimaced, worried. Damian, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were trapped in the past. He was particularly concerned about his brother and girlfriend, who were, Harry snorted, often incapable of making reasonable decisions especially in the face of danger or uncertainty. And Harry knew all too well how dangerous Voldemort was.

The thought was strange. Voldemort, not an intimidating dark lord, but a Hogwarts student, young, maybe naive, not ready to just turn around and kill someone.

Harry wasn't all too happy at being called to this place, the place he attempted to avoid constantly. But Damy could be in danger.

"So let me get this straight." Harry looked up from running a hand through his hair to find the majority of the Order Of The Phoenix staring at him. Of course they were. If Dumbledore couldn't put this right, maybe Harry _and_ Dumbledore could. Harry, the dark wizard, young, but on parr with possibly Dumbledore and Voldemort on terms of power, not completely trusted, slightly feared, half idolised, half hated. Seemed a dodgy choice to him.

"They found a compass in the attic, and travelled- _back in time?_ How the hell are we going to get them back from this?"

Sirius looked at his godson empathetically. He understood Harry's reaction, the anger he felt was blinded by a need to find his friends.

Dumbledore removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes gently. When he spoke it was in a tired voice. Harry didn't dare call it defeated.

"Yes. That is what we know from the young Weasleys here." He gestured to Fred and George, who had told Harry what had happened. "We have been in contact, via simple message owl and a transportation spell. It appears they've encountered Tom Riddle. We still cannot be certain if their actions will influence future events, but from the information that they have ben there we can deduce that this is not the case. After all nothing has changed."

"Or it just means nobody done anything stupid yet." Harry muttered darkly.

"Dumbledore, is there a reason why the kids have been taken to that time frame in

particular? Why Tom Riddle?" Questioned Moody in his gruff voice.

Dumbledore looked at him sadly.

"I am afraid I do not know. Perhaps a dark wizard who owned this watch simply manufactured it that way."

Dumbledore said sadly.

"We can only work on the antidote to this time jump."

Harry had to agree for once. This is the only time he'd work with Dumbledore. The only time.

THE PAST

Damian trudged down the hall towards Professor Slughorn's party location. The final plans for their 'ambush' as he'd mocked, were in place. He scoffed. He knew that it _was_ plausible that they'd been sent here, now for something to do with Tom Riddle, but honestly he didn't know why they were going to this party. What could they learn here? Ginny nudged him as they reached the entrance, chatter leaking from the open door. He steadied himself, remembering what Hermione had said.

"Remember, all the invited kids could bring a guest. We are acting as those guests. A girl in my Defence class agreed to take me, but you three will have to improvise. Try to stay out of most peoples ways, especially if they seem suspicious. Talk, have fun, try to find stuff out. Remember, we're looking for something- but- uh- we don't know what yet."

They received only friendly glances as they entered the room and found a seat near the food table. Ginny immediately turned round and found a guest to chatter lightly with, and Ron turned to the food, scoffing a few sandwiches under Hermione's withering glare.

20 minutes passed in conversation and joyfulness before Damy noticed Tom and Seb stood on the edge of the room. He caught Hermione's eye and watched as she gestured towards a boy with light, sandy hair glaring hatefully at Tom, who seemed oblivious of his intense gaze.

 _Crash._ An ear splitting crash and shatter of glass coming from the other room was accompanied by an equally piercing scream, a scream of terror, of blinding pain and agony. Surprisingly, Slughorn was one of the first to leave his seat and run towards the other door. A gasp left him as he surveyed the gruesome scene before him. Students gathered behind him, similar expressions on their faces. Some were crying, shrieking and panicking. Before them was a student. And she was dead.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Ok, so this one will be a bit dramatic and such, but I enjoyed writing it. Its a long one. Chapter 7!**

A strangled noise escaped Damian's lips.

He had to turn away from all of the blood. Oh, the blood. There was so much blood! Blood. Gallons of the stuff. (sorry!) The girls lifeless eyes swam in it and still more gushed from the wide wound across her abdomen, three claw marks that turned her ruined robes to rags.

Her face was pale as snow and her blue lips open in a slight surprised expression, way to peaceful for the event that had just occurred. The window was shattered and lay round her like a pointy, glinting halo, protecting her corpse.

Damian turned back and managed to drag Hermione, Ron and Ginny out the door back into the party room. He was numb. He heared Hermione whisper his name and turned to the door.

Just in time to see the boy who was staring so angrily at Tom following him out the doors. Without thinking he stepped out the doors and followed them down the corridor. He stopped just round the corner and waited. The corridor was dim; lit by candles fastened to the way and blue moonlight shining through the wide, tall windows.

"What do you want, Sam?" Tom was stood facing Sam, who was boiling with rage, silent rage, eyes narrowed to slits. He was tense. Sam took a step back and spoke.

"You maniacal bastard! Dont look at me like you're innocent in this, cause you're not. You're really not."

"What?"

"Don't act like you don't know- don't act like you don't know! Fucking evil spawn of the devil don't get second chances. _"  
_ Tom looked taken by surprise for a moment before his handsome face grew cold and mad in a confused way.

" _WHAT_? What the fuck are you on about!" He spat.

Sam looked as though he wanted to say that Tom knew again, but his anger carried him on.

"You gonna make me explain it to you? Fine. _Fine_. It will not- make you feel any better to hear it from me." He stepped forward, quiet.

"You opened the chamber of secrets, didn't you Tom."

The frightening darkness over Tom's face grew and he widened his eyes dangerously. He was silent.

"Those students- those kids who died- that, that was all because of you. And I swear to god, I will put you where you belong. In Azkaban!"

A low chuckle escaped Tom.

"Laugh, go on. Laugh and keep laughing, because your gonna need that positivity where you're going! If you did that, whats to say you didn't do this? This has never happened before. Have to say I'm impressed. But Tom, its just too much of a coincidence." He grated, teeth gritted.

"More intelligent than you look then." Drawled Tom.

This was the last straw for Sam, who was fuming. He threw a punch at the shorter boy and hit him I the side of the head, sending the both sprawling over the steps. Sam landed the hardest, blood spilling from his head.

He gargled and snarled and made another grab for Tom, who was faster this time and grabbed his neck, smashing his head into the concrete again and again and again.

Sam had stopped moving but Tom would not. His hands were red. His face was splattered in red. The floor was red. His eyes were red.

Damian could only hear blank noise as he silently observed the attack- no, the murder- going on in front of him. He knew he should probably do something, but he was frozen, grim and barely aware of his friends presence behind him. He chocked on his breath.

He watched in numb disbelief as a figure came hurtling up the corridor towards the struggle, grabbing Tom round the waist from behind and pulling him back, restraining the violently thrashing Slytherin. It was Seb, and he was yelling something but Damian only caught snippets of it.

"STOP! You can't be- Tom… Tommy, your eyes- What the fu- What have.. done..? Calm do-"

Seb was still trying to drag Tom away from the corpse, and due to his tall height his strength won over his frantic struggles. He turned his friend away from where he was being clamped by his arms, and sat him down on the floor against the stone wall.

Breathing heavily, Sebastian scrutinised his friend. He did not seem to be particularly hurt, the blood smeared and splattered over one eye was not his. His dark hair was falling over his eyes, but if Seb looked closely enough, he could tell they were their usual dark emerald colour.

Tom was staring at the blood on his hands, eyes wide, shaking. Seb knew what he had to do. He cleaned the blood on the floor first, and then disposed of the body, Sam's body lifeless as the girl from the earlier attack.

But there was no rabid beast to be seen, no tigers or dragons or fanged monsters. Only the friend he'd known since they were both orphaned children with so much in common.

Sebastian crouched in front of Tom and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at him, noticing the flinch that came with the simple action.

Tom's eyes were dark and troubled.

"Tommy… Why?-" His voice broke. " Why would you do this?"

Tom said nothing. He tried again, more forceful now.

"You killed him. You killed him, Tom. You killed him."

He swallowed and felt Tom shift and stand up shakily. He stumble back a step, a pained expression masked on his face. He was limping slightly, noted Seb. So he was hurt.

"So- So what. Why would you care? What are you gonna do now, Seb?"

Seb realised that Tom was trying to say.

"Tom, i'm not going to tell someone, not without hearing your side."  
Tom laughed, a pained, humorless laugh that lived up to what Sam had called him.

" _Dont be stupid Seb._ It's- obvious. If you told Dumbledore- wha… what happened, he might finally _like_ you. Oh- how brave. How utterly selfless. Sebastian's gonna tell the truth- How brave. How fucking brave."

Seb's frantic gaze met his friends. The rambling words, accusative and self hating at the same time. Then there was the corpse and the disturbing red eyes, but Seb knew better than to ask Tom about that right now. He clearly wasn't in his right mind.

Tom was frighteningly expressionless, a stark contrast to the insane struggle that took place only seconds ago.

Eyes half closed, he faced Seb and slowly reached up to his blood splattered mouth, wiping it with the back of his sleeve. And then he smirked. Wouldn't have been creepy if used in a different circumstance. Tom's eyes never left Sebastian's.

 _Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack._ Professor McGonagall rounded the corner, lines on her face as she noticed the boys, still locked in a staring match.

"Boys! Come to Dumbledore's office, please. Everyone from Professor Slughorn's little _gathering_ are being asked about the incident. And- gracious! Tom what on earth happened?" Her eyes widened, taking in Tom's bloodied appearance. When it became clear he was not planning on answering, Sebastian answered for him, still fixed on Toms eyes as though warning him to behave.

"Oh, Professor, Tom got into a fight."

He paused.

"Its been sorted."

Meeting his eyes, the older witch replied.

"Oh. Well, if it's been resolved. We have other things to deal with at this moment. Come along, boys."

They followed her silently.

Damian let out a shaky breath and turned around into- the face of Professor Burbage. She gave him a disappointed look.

"What did I say about staying out late? Now, now. Go to Professor Dumbledores office. You were at the party, weren't you?" Without waiting for their answer, she turned and lead them up the steps to the stone gargoyle, their steps dragging and echoing over the stony floor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **This story is getting a little popular! Its exciting. If, when this story ends, you enjoyed it, you can request some interesting one shots. Also, tell me if theres any inconsistencies with the plot.**

 **I love this story, so any requests are welcome. I know you didn't get much build up before the dramatic stuff, sorry. Angst, angst, angst, this story is full of it and theres more to come. Thanks for putting up with it.**

 **Also, sorry this is so short. Enjoy!**

When Damian and the Gryffindors reached Dumbledore's office the gargoyle had already started to turn for them. Charity bustled up the staircase chirping at them every so often to 'hurry, please' and 'come on then'.

Damian felt his stomach somersault as she turned the door handle and spoke softly.

"Here they are, Professor."

Then she pushed him inside the room with her palm, and he was forced to move forwards to allow Ron, Hermione and Ginny into the office.

That room. It was fascinating, portraits snoozed along the walls, small moving things drifted, shelves of books, yellowed by age stacked round the curved bookshelves. A curious high pitched noise was going off every few seconds. Dumbledore himself, seated at his desk, smiled, strained, at the woman, who left shortly, closing the door.

Damian looked around, noticing the occupants of the room. A few teachers he didn't know the name of, Professor Slughorn, and of course Tom and Seb. Everyone was seated down the edge of the room, heads down, pale faces and melancholy expressions.

He took a seat.

"Good evening. I suppose I will introduce you all, for even in our darkest times we must stick to civil words and polite routine."

He introduced the teachers.

"And students that were present: Seb, Tom, Hermione, Ron, Damian and Ginny. Now we can begin. As you all know, we lost a special student today. Jazmine Reiss was brutally attacked, something i would never have believed would happen here at Hogwarts. The attack has been shown to be a werewolf-"

Gasps echoed round the office.

"Dumbledore! How did they get into the castle!"  
"I thought we came to an agreement long ago!"

"How dare they! How _dare_ they!"

Dumbledore held up a weary hand for silence and they quietened down.

"We mustn't jump to conclusions. That may have for all we know, been a rouge wolf. The werewolf packs that live in the forbidden forest have coexisted peacefully with us for many years. However, we must consider a rebellion of sorts. We have no idea of their motives."

Dumbledore turned finally to them, eyes calm and curious.

"We called you here as we couldn't find you after the attack. Can you tell us your location, please? You have no idea how dangerous it could have been if the wolf had still been in the castle."

Hermione glared at Damian. If he hadn't followed Tom Riddle, they wouldn't be murder witnesses. Dumbledore wouldn't be suspicious. They wouldn't be in this mess.

Damian met her eye. He wasn't sure what to answer.

"We left the room for some air." Hermione awkwardly answered.

"And you two?" Prompted Dumbledore, gesturing at Tom and Sebastien.

"The same, Professor. Sebastien was getting dizzy."

Seb gave Tom a half glare- half concerned grimace.

"Of course. Thank you. I understand that it must have been just as traumatic to you as the the Professors, I apologise." He gave them a curious look, however. Albus Dumbledore stood up and spoke again. "You will go back to your dorms now. I must decide the outcome of this horrendous situation."

The students began to walk down the steps, led by Seb. Albus' expression dimmed a moment, and he seemed to stare into nothing.

His eyes, a piercing blue, closed for a second. A hand shot out and grabbed Tom's forearm, who surprised, almost slipped. Confused, the teachers watched as the head teacher stared intensely at Tom's eyes. Tom stared back for a moment before visibly shaking himself and snatching his arm out of Dumbledore's grip.

Damian saw what'd happened and recognised it. Legilimency. Dumbledore was trying to read Tom's mind.

"Albus." Professor McGonagall warned.

"Your mental shields are extremely well built for someone so young." Remarked Albus Dumbledore. "Where exactly could you have learnt this?"

Damian gaped. It all added up! Tom, Seb and Myrtle going to the forbidden section of the library when they first saw them. Occlumency and legilimency being forbidden. Voldemort's mistrust and hate of Dumbledore in the future. Dumbledore being able to sense dark auras.

Tom's expression darkened.

"What the hell. Thats got to be breaking some kind of law!"

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly.

"I apologise. Only for a moment there you had a strange aura. It almost reminded me of an old friend of mine. On a serious note Tom, I have only your best interests at heart."  
"Go to hell." Tom swung round and for the first time, Ron, Damian, Hermione and Ginny saw his facial expression. Like a cornered animal, ready to lash out. He brushed past them and slammed the door behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Sorry I haven't uploaded in so long. Been busy and tired, but here it is, the 9th chapter, albeit VERY short. Dumbledore might seem a bit out of character to you, I don't know, what do you think? Review please, it helps me improve and its interesting to see what others think of my writing. Enjoy!**

Seb watched his friend go with a sinking feeling in his chest. What if Dumbledore had seen anything? He knew Tom had his own issues, he didn't need the old wizard as a problem too. Seb wanted to leave and talk to him as soon as possible, without it looking suspicious. He knew that he could be the only one to stop Tom if he decided to do something drastic.

Seb didn't knew how to feel, to be frank. In the end, his friendship and ultimate protectiveness of Tom would win over any kind of fear or disgust he had for the horrific murder he'd committed. Seb was a light wizard, he knew. Tom was a dark wizard, almost proud of it, but hushed by the authority.

The prejudice against Tom from the beginning was troubling. Dumbledore had obviously only pittyed Tom from the start, an orphan boy causing trouble with strange gifts of magic. He began to wonder who Dumbledore really was.

"Albus!"

MaGonagall's face was sheet white and shocked. What was she afraid of? Sebastien wondered. Then he blotted out his emotion so the weird kids stood beside wouldn't be able to figure out what he was thinking.

"Albus explain yourself!"

"Oh calm yourself, i'm sure the headmaster has an adequate reason."

Albus Dumbledore ignored them and turned to Seb himself. The room grew silent, and then…

"Sebastian. Is there anything… Perhaps, bothering your friend?"

Sebastian met his eyes with a steady glare.

"No. No way."

And then he left, eyes burning through his back.

Damian, Ginny, Hermione and Ron were excused. Silence boiled between them as they almost tripped down the narrow spiral of steps and out towards the Gryffindor common room.

"I don't…" Damian paused and then sighed. "I don't even know what to say."

"So this is how it all began. Its starting to make sense."

Hermione shook her frizzy hair, tucking it behind one ear only to have it fall out again.

"I feel like- like this is all leading up to something. You know? Maybe _we_ are supposed to stop it."

"But we don't know! Thats the thing. We don't even know what happened back here! We just res up hating Voldemort for all the terrible stuff he did!" Ginny burst out, looking very frustrated.

"I don't care what happened." Ron said quietly. "Don't forget what he did- will do? He ruined so many lives, killed so many people!"

"Im not saying anything he did was justified, Ronald!" Snapped Ginny.

"Shut up, both of you! This isn't the time!" Hermione shut down the argument quickly.

Silence returned in full force. Each of them were thinking, thinking hard about what could be done. But each of them had no luck.

Out of the blue, Damian broke the silence.

"I wish Harry were here. He'd know what to do."

Miserably Hermione spoke up.

"At lest Hogwarts is safe. Dumbledore said this was the only place he ever felt at home." She fumbled with taking her wand out."We should get some rest. We don't know what could happen."

That day ended with an unassuming pale sunset, giving no indication to what was to happen the next day.

 **BACK IN THE FUTURE**

 **Harry rubbed his left eye drearily. The research that was necessary to bring his idiot brother and friends back from wherever he was took hours, and they hadn't heard from them since that last letter.**

 **He didn't want to admit it was worrying him. He knew that at some point Tom Riddle became a bit too power hungry and snapped. And that- as he'd always told Harry- was at the time of the werewolf battle! Harrys head snapped up and he messily gathered the papers on the desk in front of him.**

 **He saw several Order members look at him quizzically but then decide that a determined dark prince was too much for them to deal with right now. Harry paid them no attention and carefully kept his face expressionless as he exited the room. He had something he needed to try.**

BACK IN THE PAST

Damian quietly grabbed his invisibility cloak and changed into his robes again. He had it in his pocket since the day at the Order, always carrying it incase he had a chance to cause pranks or wanted to overhear anything. (Fred and George approved). He'd tried sleeping but the days events had shaken him and he really wanted to just walk round.

He covered himself and left the common room in silence, Ron's loud snores filling the empty space every few seconds.

In dim light, he could almost fool himself into thinking he was at Hogwarts, _his_ Hogwarts. He almost slid down the empty corridors, seeing nobody except a snoozing ghost and a few giggling first years being escorted down the corridor by a pair of prefects.

Damian scooted up against the stone wall and waited for them to pass by.

He continued his path along the corridors before realising he'd gone further than he'd realised.

 _Hissssss_. A strange noise filled the air and Damian almost jumped a foot into the air. He tensed up and focussed on the direction of the noise, in front of him. Through the dark he could only just make out a dark silhouette, low to the ground and barely noticeable due to its tiny size.

He stood, stock still and shivering from shock and adrenaline, and watched the shape curl and slide along the floor. His groggy mind put 2 and 2 together before long and he soon realised it was a snake.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

 **Hey there!**

 **(If there are any spelling mistakes in this chapter I apologise, recently I've been pretty bad at writing and spelling words correctly, particularly while typing.)**

 **I realised yesterday that this story may not have many readers. Although its relatively new, this is the kind of story I'd been imagining in my head and looking for and I couldn't find it so I decided I should write it myself, despite not being sure if I am portraying the story well enough.**

 **I realise not many people like this, though. Many people hate Tom Riddles character and I guess thats true but i've always felt its more interesting to portray the villains, the darker and more disturbed characters in a series.**

 **My point is that I appreciate those of you that continue to read this story, especially as it is my first one ever! Haha that may have been a bit dramatic but I wanted to explain. Thank you and enjoy!**

 **This chapter will be a bit dark, as you can probably tell, i'm feeling that way, ya know? Angsty. And way too dramatic.**

 **IN THE SLYTHERIN COMMON ROOM**

The common room was empty and dim. Torches sent sprawling shadows over the floor and walls, which twitched and spiralled in Tom's half closed eyes.

He was slumped in a green armchair, legs resting on the low table. His bent elbows were on the armrests, one hand stretched out, dangling limply, and the other held his wand loosely. He was silent, frozen and his only movement was an occasional blink.

In his hazy mind he began to hear a voice. It was a clear yet distant voice reminiscent of one of the older girls at his orphanage. She was adopted, one of the few to be, although it was only 2 ears later she met an unfortunate end.

Tom remembered it well, he was 9. He remembered the sobbing woman with the drooping face who told the orphanage owner what had happened. Her body was found in a ditch.

Thats when he learnt that death was, mainly, just a distraction.

The woman missed so much while she was grieving, like how the beatings became worse from the orphanage owner that week, all because she didn't get to grow up. She didn't get to grow up and become a representative for their orphanage, that was.

He hadn't cared much. He hadn't cared about anyone. The treatment of the kids had rubbed off on them and morphed them into little monsters that only escaped isolation to gang up on him, and Tom had adapted accordingly.

He remembered once he became so angry he set his closet on fire. Without touching it. Without matches or lighters. Of course, they didn't care that he was sad. It was the droopy faced woman who smacked him round the face with a crow bar and left him bleeding out on the floor. The closet had cost them money.

And back to the time he'd been given those pills, and took them all at once to end his miserable existence. He was 'the sick boy', sick being not visible. He remembered his body going numb and leaning back onto the wall with glassy eyes and a face void of expression.

The shadows at the edge of his vision spoke and then he was roughly forced to throw up his escape route. He was not happy. His hazy mind registered hysterical rage as a way to communicate it.

Sebastian found him, a stupidly optimistic boy with a idiotic grin, just a little older than Tom himself. He was the only one who cared, the only one who didn't let the orphanage change him.

He'd often thought that the woman with the droopy face seemed just as happy there as he did. But she could leave. So why didn't she? Why would she stay in that hellhole rather than leaving into the colourful world?

The voice grew clearer until he could make out what she was saying.

"You're bitter." She'd say. "Don't you think so? You're getting bitter and bitterer. And bitterer. You narcissistic bastard. You do what you want at the expense of others, don't you? Just leave them in the dust."

The words were drawn out and drawled. Her childish voice was grating and accusing.

"Bitter… Bitter. The dawn is on his way. The dawn is on his way. You're gonna be _tortured._ Because you're a horrible person and you deserve it."

Tom smirked, empty of mirth. She continued to rant into his ears, sometimes low, high, or sometimes he couldn't even hear her, it was so distorted.

He saw a shadow move beside the fire. The snake was beautiful, green scales glinting in fire light. Its eyes, slitted eyes, were fixed on Tom as she began to speak to him.

 _"_ _Hello Tom.'_

 _It was not an old snake, not at all, but snakes wizards kept could live for hundreds of years._

 _He was silent._

 _"_ _I see you are the heir of Slytherin himself… You speak in the noble tongue of your ancestors. I see… you are worthy. I will show you who you are meant to be."_

Confused, Tom blinked and watched the snake turn and move away from him. He almost asked her something

He finally let his eyes leave the fixed point he stared at when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs from the dorms. The girl disappeared and his vision cleared a little.

"Tom."

He continued to stare at the fire because he knew what would happen and didn't want it to.

Sebastian seemed to sigh softly, realising that his friend wouldn't talk to him this easily, and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Its morning now," He said turning to look at the windows. He knew the other teenagers would come downstairs soon, and was almost relieved when Tom got up and began to walk towards the common room door.

He followed, keeping his expression light and happy.

The air was warm and breezy outside the castle. The lake rippled gently and pebbles showed through the clear water. The squid bopped gently in the natural waves and hummed gently as a dark cloud floated over the pale teal sky.

He watched Tom sit down on the sloped bank by the lake and did the same.

GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM

The teens had spent a tense and restless night on the armchairs around the fire. Hermione bit her lip, overcome with the nauseating fear that something would happen today. She turned towards Ginny, who was fastening her tie, and frowned, catching the attention of both boys too.

"Guys. We have to find Tom Riddle."


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

 **Woah chapter 11! Kinda proud that I've kept up a decent upload schedule. As always, be helpful and inform me of any significant typos. Review! Enjoy!**

"What?"

"I said we have to find him."

 _"_ _What?"_

"Don't be so dramatic Ron. We're obviously here for a reason. Is there anywhere better to start? We might just have to see something and then we'll get home again."

Ron stood back and crossed his arms in a way certainly intended to be logical and intimidating, but seemed unintentionally comical coming from the disgruntled redhead.

"So you think that we watch some event, and _poof!_ We're whisked back to Grimmauld place? I hate to burst your bubble here Hermione, but-"

"That could be it. Actually, that could be it! We should probably stick around with them." Ginny intervened, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Damian found himself nodding. Tom Riddle was the most significant person here, apart from Dumbledore, but his future self had warned them against intervening in the events of the past, and if they told him then he would, certainly.

Their best and safest bet was to follow Voldemort from a distance and try to find out how to leave.

"Three against one." He smirked.

Ron groaned and pretended to smack him round the head, only stopping at the last moment because of a single thought.

"If I did that, would Harry apperate in and kill me?"

In spite of their dangerous and unknown situation, a laugh travelled round the group.

"Thats our way out! If anyone could get here, it'd be Harry!"

"Maybe we should try it!"

Damian sprung away from their hands and collapsed on the armchair, making it twist up the carpet that Ginny fell over. The group laughed harder. Damian caught his breath. He paused.

Damian couldn't help but feel a spike of sadness and almost guilty jealousy when he realised Harry would know what to do. Harry would know how to get his friends out of here when he was the one who got them stuck here in the first place. Could he do that? He shook it off doubtfully.

The air was cool on the lake as they wandered over the gently sloping grass. They had eaten early and were looking for the dark lord. There was barely anyone out here, and the people that were were heading back in for breakfast in the great hall.

They ambled towards the lake, rounded the old trees, and headed to the outside courtyards when they couldn't see either of the boys, chatting idly.

"So that was a bust."

"What now?"

"We use this!"

Hermione whipped a clear orb from her bag and enlarged it until it was the size of a ballon.

Intrigued, Damian leant forwards.

"I took it from Dumbledores office after the werewolf attack. Thought it might come in handy. Its a rare observer globe, so we'll have to return it without him noticing. Anyhow, we can use it to pinpoint locations. It shows you one area, provided you've seen it before and know where it is. While we keep watch in here we can also see the lake."

She smiled.

"And I think we've found what we're looking for."

"Why hello!" Myrtle swooped into view, flattening Sebastian into the ground in shock. Tom barely spared her a glance.

Myrtle looked almost disappointed.

"Do you ever make any facial expressions?"

"Im pretty sure i'm a psychopath." Tom murmured apathetically.

Sebastian wasn't sure how the two correlated, to be fair.

Myrtle wasn't fazed.

"Well then. Whats your super villain name, honey?"

"Im thinking something edgy. Maybe even two names. Or one name and a title."

"How will you introduce yourself, then?"

"Greetings. Im here to rule the world?"

"Maybe something with a little more… _zing_. Like-"

"Stop it you two, I swear to God."

Myrtle leant back.

"Ghosts cant hurt people can they?" Asked Tom almost in a uninterested tone.

"No. But that means you cant hurt me either."

"From what I've heard, theres more perks to being alive."

"Why are you asking this? You could never hurt anyone anyway, you're a wimp." Myrtle said smugly.

Sebastien cast a wary glance at Tom.

"Do you know how you died?"

"Myrtle looked confused, but composed herself fast.

"Mm- hum. A basilisk. Might still be in the pipes."  
"When?'

"Not long ago… A few years, maybe, at most."

"And who here can talk to snakes, Myrtle?" Tom asked, irritated.

Sebastian blinked.

He only had time to register the look of horror on Myrtle's face before their world dissolved into chaos.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

 **Sorry this took so long! Ive been busy and somewhat unmotivated recently, which led to this very late chapter that I hope you'll enjoy regardless!**

A flash of bright light emerged over the forest like dawn. Several surprised murmurs accompanied an eerie howl, like a wounded animal, threatening, warning, calling for help. There was silence for a few seconds. Myrtle was nowhere to be seen. Tom caught Sebastien's eye from where he'd sprung to his feet. The loud silence weighed on them, Myrtle's absence more and more noticeable.

A single patronus leapt from the trees, a ghostly creature, paws thundering over the open grass. It disappeared from view. Tension apparent in every move, they began to move upwards towards the forest.

"But.."

Another howl, closer this time.

To be honest, Seb was starting to feel more than a little uneasy. The only people he could see were closer to the courtyard, closer to the entrance. There was nothing between the two of them and the safety of the school but the space where the patronus had come from, and the howling creature.

He locked eyes with Tom again, from a few metres away.

 **INSIDE THE CASTLE**

"Oh wait. Somethings happening."

Slowly the three gathered back ground Hermione, who sat with knitted brows, examining the orb closely.

"Guys… I think I found them."

They saw the ghost, Tom and Seb on the hill.

"Hey, its that ghost girl!"

Damian frowned.

"What are they saying? Hermione, can we get sound on this?"  
"Yeah… Give me a minute."

The patronus streaked out from under the shade of the trees, milky and pale in the light.

"A patronus!'

"What in Merlin's name?"

A prefect burst into the common room suddenly, knocking over a few chairs as he skidded into the room, yanking a chain to a large bell in the corner.

The deafening rings were accompanied by the curious footsteps appearing down the stairs, heads turned in the common room as the prefect, obviously panicked, messily brushed back his hair and and loudly shrieked over the echoes of bell,

"That was an alarm bell requested by Professor Dumbledore- There are malicious- dangerous creatures- Stay inside the castle. No, no! Don't panic! Come on- please!"

Damian grinned at Ron.

 **OUTSIDE**

The silence was deafening. Sebastien was strangely terrified of something, he knew that much. He vaguely registered Tom beside him, every part of his attention focused on the area where the patronus had emerged from. He had a pit of dread falling deeper and deeper in his mind.

The seconds piled up, feeling like hours. The clang of a bell echoed inside the castle, followed by many more, a cacophony of meaningless noise. Then it came. Right on cue.

A dark shape, hunched, tall, fur all over it, eyes so wide and dead like a shark's. Stood on its hind legs like a grotesque imitation of a human being, the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood suddenly seemed like a rat. He could almost hear its rasping, rattling breath from so far away.

It froze by the end of the trees, nose in the air. Any moment now the creature would see them. His thoughts were racing, blood rushing in his ears. One thought, four words in both of their heads.

"We're going to die."


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

 **So, heres the next chapter. To those of you who keep up and are reading as this is posted, Im so sorry I haven't uploaded in a while.**

 **I've been busy with school and things haven't been easy. Sorry again that its so short, I have to gather my ideas.**

 **Be patient! :)**

Bloodshot. Blood thirsty. Hints of mirth and madness and cold, spontaneous hunger in the eyes of the beast as it took in the scents in the air. It could hear the rustles of undergrowth as his fellows crept towards the castle. He shook his dark, matted mane.

Seb was edging backwards, towards the castle courtyard.

"Hey..?"

Softly.

Tom answered after a moment of quiet.

"I think we should go."

Sebastian couldn't agree more. They continued to move back, stumbling occasionally. Neither shook their eyes from the beast, who was eerily still, frozen in a frame of confidence amongst terror.

Sebastian was sure he could smell his horror in the air. No wonder Myrtle disappeared. Well, that and what Tom had said.

Tom risked a glance to his left. Open grass. No shelter, no nothing. He cursed gently. They were half way past the lake when the creature reared up and turned its pale eyes to them.

Suddenly his feet were pounding on the ground in an effort to get to safety.

"Look!'

Damian bit his nail.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath.

"Bloody hell!" Ron tugged at his hair.

"What do we do?"

"What can we do? They're outside! Thats a better wizard than us!"

Hermione placed her head in her palm and watched the globe closely. The plan was falling to pieces.

 **AT THE ORDER OF THE PHEONIX**

 **"** **Are you sure about this Albus?"**

 **Minerva hissed. "I thought the boy was-"**

 **"** **He is most certainly not, Minerva." Dumbledore smiled lightly.**

 **"** **And I am afraid he is the only chance we may have."  
"It is not that I don't trust him!" She said. "I don't trust his emotional reasoning! I do not trust their reactions!' She gestured to the order members scatted round the large room, slumped at table reading over reports and books, practising spells, talking frantically, and, in Harry's case, moodily watching the scene with dark eyes.**

 **Dumbledore turned to them, silence for a moment before he spoke.**

 **'** **it may be our only chance.' He repeated. "I have messaged him. He will come. I daresay he owes me much, I suppose."**

 **10 minutes passed before the door opened to reveal a tall, attractive brown haired man in a long cloak. He moved forwards.**

 **"** **Sorry I'm late sir." He said in a slightly stressed voice.**

 **The old man analysed his young face for a moment before he gestured towards tthe long table.**

 **"** **And he has come! Please, take a seat all."**

 **"** **Who is this, Professor?"**

 **Dumbledore introduced them all, Lily and James, Sirius, Remus, Mad eye and the Weaslys, Kingsley, Tonks and The Hogwarts staff. Finally he introduced Harry, and the man gave him a curious look before smiling in a way that made Harry want to smile back.**

 **"** **This is Sebastian Markson."**


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

 **Hey! Sorry I have not uploaded in such a long time. Please enjoy this.**

 **"** **Where have I heard that name?"**

 **Kingsley broke the silence. Surveying the confused faces, he realised that he wasn't the only person thinking this.**

 **Dumbledore smiled serenely at them, whilst Sebastian had a slightly troubled and uncomfortable look on his face.**

 **McGonagall cleared her throat, standing forwards, but her intentions were lost as she lost confidence every moment. Eventually all she managed to choke out was:**

 **"** **Well- This… This is…"**

 **Sebastian swallowed and turned to Harry looking for a moment at him before he spoke.**

 **"** **Have you heard my name mentioned before?"**

 **He suddenly waved his hands and mumbled a quick "Not- not that I expected you to- I'm not famous or anything-" He dissolved into sort of cynical chuckles, almost as if he knew, he knew what he was going to have to do.**

 **Harry allowed his mouth to curve slightly. This stranger… He had no idea who he was. However he had to admit that his personality was a welcome change in the negative atmosphere.**

 **"** **No. Never. Should I have?"**

 **"** **God no. I wouldn't have expected you to."**

 **He leaned back, pulling a hand through his hair.**

 **"** **No… It's only natural I suppose, after what happened."**

 **Harry felt his confusion rising.**

 **"** **After what?"**

 **"** **You knew a friend of mine. That person… They…"**

 **He looked towards Dumbledore, uncertainty in his eyes. Harry had a sick feeling in his stomach. He wasn't ready to discover that his memory had been wiped again. Again.**

 **After getting no reply from the old wizard, Sebastian attempted to change the subject.**

 **"** **So I'm here because of an enchanted compass?"  
"Yes." Answered Tonks. "Its taken four students into the past with it."**

 **"I called you here Sebastian, because the compass has taken them back to the time of the werewolf rebellion."**

 **"** **The- The werewolf rebellion."**

 **He turned back to Dumbledore, with a barely masked mix of terror and murderous rage on his features. 'Interesting' thought Harry, this was the first time he'd seen such a negative emotion on the mans face.**

 **"** **I am not going there. I** ** _cannot_** **go there. Thats crossing my own timeline, thats forbidden."**

 **"** **You were there, at the werewolf rebellion? With 'you know who'?"**

 **He straightened up, biting his lip, and dressed the room as a whole.**

 **"** **Yes. Yes I was."**

 **Gasps of shock and confusion reverberated round the room.**

 **"** **So you knew him? Voldemort?"  
Harry quietly asked.**

 **Sebastian knew he couldn't lie to this boy. He could see his resemblance to Tom Riddle and he knew that whatever had happened, his friend would have told his son about his own involvement in the werewolf rebellion.**

 **"** **Yeah I… I mean…" He paused. "He was my friend. We were brought up in the same orphanage."**

 **He carried on before he could be interrupted by some of the outraged looking order members, taking in a deep breath while he did so. Albus Dumbledore observed silently, sadly almost.**

 **"** **Me and Tom, we grew up together. In that way I was used to it, the things he did, talking to snakes, hurting the other kids- not always because he was provoked, i'll admit, but we all did some really bad stuff back then."**

 **Another shaky breath left his lips as the large brass clock ticked on steadily in the background.**

 **"** **It was bad, a really bad place to be, abusive, selfish. We became friends after he tried to… to- end it, basically, and I'd never blame him."**

 **Feeling guilty, he looked down.**

 **"** **They never cared. They never did. All we wanted was to get out of there. Our escape came early though. We went to Hogwarts." He smiled grimly.**

 **"** **But I had no idea how bad things would get."**


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

 **Welcome to chapter 15! I know, I know, I'm disappointed in myself too. Things have been so busy since halloween last year and I've been going through some really tough times.**

 **I understand that its hard to follow an author who's so unreliable, but who knows? It might be worth sticking around. :)**

 **Let me take a moment to thank anyone who's reviewed, you guys are the best and a huge part of my motivation. Thanks.**

 **ONTO THE CHAPTER—** He felt eyes on him, some distrustful, some disgusted, some curious and some a mix of the lot. Sebastian eyed the crowd steadily.

He took a breath and spoke.

"Two years into our education. Tom was exceeding every expectation and me? Maybe not so much, but I was happy there, with my friend, safe and with guaranteed food every day."

He chuckled cynically.

"We didn't have many friends. In truth, I think it was Tom's attitude that scared people away. Maybe mine too. The orphanage wasn't particularly educational on social skills, not when everyday was a fight.

I took the 'over the top' personality and he took the cold one.

We didn't need friends, we wanted to be great." At this point his voice had taken on a sullen tone. He almost spat his words out in a regretful way.

We wanted to be better than they said, we wanted to prove we were worth something. He hated muggleborns. Only natural I suppose-"

He flinched at the harsh looks and the gritted teeth directed at him and spoke faster, nervous.

"Muggles hadn't treated us well. I'll admit, I wasn't… I wasn't innocent in this. We were both distrustful of everyone and everything. But being in that place… did something."

A deep breath, the silent room shivered.

"I had no idea what he was doing. One day, a student died. A girl. She was a muggleborn. I was oblivious. She was oblivious too, I guess. We met her ghost. She was searching, searching for how she died."

"Not much is known about death itself. But, maybe those who die confused, scared and alone, do not bring their final memories with them? What if that's why we see their ghosts? It was like a game for us, trying to find out her story. To be fair she was annoying, but… She hadn't deserved what had happened to her.

Before long we were trapped in this little friendship circle, two orphans and a dead girl, stupidly protective and distrustful and making the most idiotic decisions I'd ever seen."

Sebastian's expression was sad, a lonely smile. Eyes dripping with nostalgia and reminiscence.

"You'll have guessed by now. Tom killed her. Indirectly, but yes he did. Tom was a parseltounge, of course, and he was the only one who'd been able to open the chamber of secrets for so long.

Inside that chamber, was a beast of legend."

Harry smiled besides himself.

"The basilisk."

"He told you about it?"

Harry rolled his shoulders back.

"He did. Strangely enough. You wouldn't think he was the story telling type. But, when he was in a good mood, or Bella forced him into it, He would.

He told me he could control it because he was the heir of Slytherin. He found it funny that he almost closed Hogwarts, but i guess thats why he stopped it. If he loved anything, it was that school."

He ignored the discomfort of the others in the room.

"True. I have no idea if he could actually control the beast, or if he knew what it was going to do. But all evidence points towards him."

"Things only got worse when Tom's father got murdered."


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

 **Heyyyyyyy, look at that, a new chapter!**

 **TW: THIS CHAPTER MENTIONS ABUSE, SUICIDE, MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS, ADDICTION AND OTHER BAD SHIZ PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION IF THIS IS GOING TO HURT YOU. I LOVE YOU OK.**

 **So this one might be a bit heavy but it shouldn't be too graphic, I don't know if that was necessary but I wanted to at least warn anyone who may be affected.**

 **—**

 **"** **You know what I don't get?" Fred began accusatively while George nodded passionately, "You said he's your friend. You talk about him- like he was good. How? How did he turn into a monster? How does someone go from studying for newts to murdering family a-"**

 **Fair question. Harry thought sullenly, watching the exchange with great interest.**

 **"** **Fred!" Molly interrupted, outraged, yanking Fred back from where he'd stood stubbornly by his arm.**

 **"** **I am sorry-"**

 **"** **No. He's right." Alastor Moody's gruff and unfriendly voice silenced all in the room.**

 **"** **How do you live alongside the most dangerous wizard of all time for the majority of your life and not notice the warning signs?"**

 **James' glare was also piercing Sebastian. He was feeling a mixture of rage and strange sadness when he looked at the man with the curly brown hair and sad eyes. He wanted answers, but he didn't know why.**

 **He attempted to rationalise with himself. This man was not Voldemort. This man was, however, speaking about the dark wizard fondly, like an old friend, like more than a friend, as if he was trapped with deep seated caring and hope that one day his friend may come back.**

 **Lily watched quietly by his side, a strangely vacant expression on her face. She couldn't imagine the pain of watching your best friend destroy himself and emerge bloodstained and tainted with darkness.**

 **Harry observed Sebastian Markson quietly. He had felt the strangest familiarity when he saw him. He wondered who Sebastian saw when he looked at Harry, the dark prince, or his old friend.**

 **"** **Valid question." He was silent for a few moments, his gaze fixed on the table.**

 **"** **You have to know that the orphanage me and Tom grew up in… it was abusive. It was- I** ** _don't_** **mean just bad, I mean really, really bad.**

 **All of us, everyone who grew up there, ended up with problems. Ive had a lot of free time since to track some of the kids down and what I found wasn't pretty.**

 **Some people got away from it, don't get me wrong, but some people got isolated, lonely, depressed, committed suicide. Some people became abusive themselves, violent, aggressive. Some are in mental health wards. Some are so far into addiction they cant see a way out. The vast majority developed mental disorders, and…"**

 **He took a sharp inhale here, his lips curled towards the ground subtly, betraying his inner emotions. A quick glance at Dumbledore showed Harry this same despair and- almost- guilt? It was strewn across the old man's face.**

 **Why, because he hadn't picked Voldemort up from the orphanage sooner? Harry had already decided the old wizard was pathetic. He scowled. What good would guilt do? The damage was done. And it was messed up.**

 **"** **I don't think Tom was an exception."**

 **Nobody said anything, but Sebastian felt obliged to continue, like he had to explain.**

 **"** **Obviously I haven't talked to Tom in a long time. When I knew him, however, I think I can safely say I knew him better than anyone else ever did.**

 **He'd always been extreme, in way of emotion, either it was nothing or everything at once, self destruction or the destruction of others. But… the thing that scared me the most about him was that when he got angry his eyes… They- changed. This dark red. And my friend was gone. That wasn't Tom. That wasn't- It just wasn't the kid I** ** _knew_** **.**

 **But, of course, thats the man you know now. I wonder if I…"**

 **He shook himself and steadied his hands on the table.**

 **"** **I had a theory, back then. Hear me out. I thought that after the trauma of his childhood, Tom divided himself- his personality. The red eyes, that doesn't happen to normal people with this condition obviously, thats because he's a wizard, but when he's provoked or threatened or upset, that part of his personality takes over."**

 **"** **But that doesn't make any sense! If thats the truth then why is he like that all the time now?" Mr Weasley burst out, confusion apparent on his features. A murmur of curiosity and confusion bubbled round the room.**

 **Sebastian cracked a sad smile.**

 **"** **Well, I haven't told you what happened next."**

 **He swallowed and slumped forwards slightly, trying to get his words out, but he couldn't. Eventually, Dumbledore stepped in, solemnly.**

 **"** **What Sebastian here is attempting to communicate is that in order to trigger the worst of Tom's personalities to take control for so long, an equally traumatic and threatening event must occur. That event comes in the form of the Werewolf Rebellion.**

 **More specifically, this event comes in the form of Sebastian's apparent murder."**

 **…**

 **"…** **What?" Sirius piped up from where he'd been sat, uncharacteristic in his silence and stillness.**

 **"** **Obviously I didn't actually die, I just very** ** _nearly_** **died. I looked dead. I** ** _felt_** **dead** ** _._** **We all thought I was dead. Tom thought that too. This is a very unstable and dangerous part of the time line. We need to get back there."**


End file.
